The Rusty Guns
New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF
Music
Press
“Who says banjos and gang vocals are mainstream? When courting The Rusty Guns' brand of folk rock in your headphones, leave your Mumford & Sons-dulled preconceptions of the genre at the door. "A sexy blend of White Stripes rock and Old Crow Medicine Show sensibility, the album is just good ol' foot-stomping fun," writes Jess. "Fantastic banjo and harmonica work - take some shots of whiskey and check out Chain Gang, I dare you to stand still!"” - BreakThru Radio
"...The Rusty Guns, from Brooklyn, New York, is personally one of my favorites of the conference this year. Just finding out they were a Bluegrass band from Brooklyn already made them interesting. They showed up with a stand up bass, a cool lookin’ guitar, a banjo, and Titus Tompkins, who was by far the most eccentric percussionist at the conference. Titus played a cojon, be he also had a tambourine on his ankle, spoons that he played unlike anything I’ve ever seen, a shaker egg, and last but not least a washboard. We were lucky and they played on our stage both days. They also showed up every chance they could to play. If you said the word jam, they were there..."
"If you are a club owner do yourself a favor and get these guys booked at your venue! They will press any crowd with their talent!" - Pennsylvania Musician Magazine
I could listen to these five piece folk rockers, who mix a tinge of Punk and Hillbilly into their arrangements, all night long. Billed as three parts Texas, two parts Appalachia I would love to see them come back and hit up Asbury Park for some shows. - Speak Into My Good Eye
Ushering in Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry and serving as a cool adhesive between all shorts is The Rusty Guns, a wickedly cool band that blends country, blue-grass, and rock and roll. Hailing from the south, they add the perfect smooth and grounded flavor to Tennessee’s Mississippi-bred stories, especially since the characters in these stories are anything but settled or calm. - Theatre is Easy
Honestly, never heard anything close to RG's sound. They're pretty much in a genre on their own. Mumford who? But enough about labels. These guys just rock!! Get your boots ready, get the whiskey shots filled...these boys won't disappoint! - Wrangler1217 - itunes
I had the pleasure of experiencing the Rusty Guns at Kenny's Castaways last evening. I had gone to see them several times before, this time actually getting to hear them perform. I wasn't surprised to find them a rollicking good time.
The Rusty Guns are a shot of whiskey poured over a slice of birthday cake.
They are whimsical outlaw jesters.
They are Cage the Elephant meets the Soggy Bottom Boys.
Chris Cornwell is an electrifying presence matched by Mark August's wry subtext of mischief. I've never heard a banjo sound so tough. Well done boys. Keep me posted on further shows! - Danny Siegel
Discography
The Rusty Guns
Hipster Boy (single)
Photos
Bio
The Rusty Guns were planted on the plains of Texas, soaked in the swamps of Georgia, and harvested on the hills of Appalachia. They remember when Rock 'n' Roll was in its youth and deemed the Devil's music; when it enticed adolescents with a rude awakening of guitar, upright bass, and drums. The Guns take that recipe, pour gasoline on it with a driving banjo and chucking harmonica, and then plug into their amplifiers to set it ablaze.
Their influences are as wide as the Mississippi River. Some say they're Bluegrass Rock, some say they're Outlaw Country, Punkgrass, and Gritty Blues; some even say that they're Jug-Punk. Long story short, they sound exactly like what you think a band called "The Rusty Guns" would sound like.
The Guns formed originally when Chris Cornwell and Mark Spitznagel met in New York City in a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and began writing music together almost immediately. As their repertoire increased, so did their vision of the songs, and with that they invited their good friends Harlan Short, Eli Bridges, and original drummer, Terry Jenkins to complete the sound. In 2012, intent to do things without permission or restraint, they setup a make-shift studio in a Brooklyn Brownstone and recorded their debut-album which they released in the spring of 2013. As fate had it, around that same time, Terry had to relocate to the west coast and the band was subsequently graced with the percussive talents of Titus Tompkins. The band is currently based in New York City.
The Rusty Guns are: Titus Tompkins on drums, Harlan Short on bass, Mark Spitznagel on banjo, Chris Cornwell on guitar, and Eli Bridges on harmonica and a myriad of things.
"Happiness is a rusty gun."
- John Wayne
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